The Terps behind Maryland women's basketball
The Maryland Women's Basketball Scout Team prepares for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA March Madness Tournament in Spokane, Washington. (From Left to Right: Mason Green, Quincy Cunningham, Jacob Krause, and Jaden Blocker) (Maryland WBB Scout Team/Instagram @umdwbb_scout)
This article was originally published by UMTerps
Imagine being a student in a sea of Terps fans in the stands cheering like crazy during those final 35 seconds of a top-10 matchup vs. Indiana. You see a floater from Katie Benzan going in to seal the victory and an adrenaline rush takes over.
For 20 young men, they know exactly what it took to pull off the game-winning shot. The Maryland women's basketball team’s "Scout Team" spends countless hours reviewing game footage to become the Terrapins' upcoming opponents before the team even hits the hardwood.
Each week, they get to travel, practice and be part of the team.
For Jacob Kraus, who played throughout high school and has been on the scout team for four years, joining the scout team was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Kraus's father knows Maryland’s Women’s Basketball Head Coach Brenda Frese. The two-time National Coach of the Year asked if he would be interested in joining the team before coming to Maryland.
"It kind of swayed my decision to come to Maryland, to be honest, and it worked out well," said Kraus.
Quincy Cunningham, a first-year scout team player, found out about the program from a friend who went to Georgetown and wondered if Maryland had a similar squad. When he found out the Terps did have a scout team, he tried out.
Mason Green, a senior operations management and business analytics major, played two years of Division III basketball before transferring to Maryland and knew a former Scout Team member.
Bennett Carr's younger brother played basketball with Julian Reese growing up. Reese, who plays for the Maryland men’s basketball team, happens to be the brother of sophomore guard Angel Reese. Angel encouraged Carr to try out for the team after sharing a class during the fall semester.
"I was fortunate enough to continue playing here because I love playing basketball," says Carr.
To help the team prepare for matchups, the scout team players watch film alongside the coaching staff to learn opponents’ tendencies and the game plan. The scout team gets a sense of the opposing team's style of play. They match up based on size and several other factors. While the Terps are warming up for practice, the scout team magic begins. The coaches go over the opponents’ plays with the scout team, so when practice starts, it's a seamless transition.
"It's tough because we only get about five minutes to go over a team's playbook when they have the entirety of the season," says Cunningham. "But it's fun. That's what makes it a challenge."
"When I first joined [the scout team,] what I really thought it would be … go to some practices and be on a friendly basis with some of the players and coaches,'' says Carr. "But it has been much more than that. I feel like I'm friends with all the players, and all the coaches know me on a first-name basis. I feel like a valued member of the team and it has been an awesome experience from top to bottom."
While they aren’t the ones taking the court under the bright lights, these guys get the same nerves seated behind the Maryland bench night after night. It's the little moments during the game that make it all worthwhile.
"When Benzan had that floater against Indiana, I loved seeing that because she and I literally worked for an hour before practice every day," says Cunningham. "So, seeing that go in and seeing the preparation turned into an opportunity is great.”
The scout team's commitment doesn't just shine through on the court, but it also shines through in the classroom.
"The academic advisor for the team, Miranda [Mathis,] does a really good job. Not only making sure that girls are getting success in the classroom, but we are too. Miranda makes sure that we're on top of our school work just as much as anybody," says Cunningham.
That balance between basketball, academics and social life is key to the group's success.
Nevertheless, being on the scout team makes a great talking point with people and puts everything into perspective.
"It's like everyone's almost in disbelief of how cool it is, and like people are jealous of it. It makes me realize how great an opportunity I have, and we're blessed with it,” says Carr. "It reminds me how awesome of an opportunity I have, and I try to stay mindful and grateful for that every day."
The role is not taken lightly due to Maryland’s track record as a high-level, championship-producing program. So just as much fun as it is, the hard work is in there.